“Thanks for the work you do” is heard all too rarely, says the AFL-CIO, which has launched a creative new digital application to help everyone — including Martin Sheen — say thanks to the workers in their lives this Labor Day.

On the new app, from the AFL-CIO, participants can send personalized thank you cards through Facebook or email to those people whose work makes life easier for all of us. The online app also features thank-you videos from leaders, including actor Martin Sheen, recognizing the work of people they rely on every day. (Sheen honors Ann Hernandez, who delivers his Los Angeles Times newspaper every day.) Viewers can create and upload their own video thank-you.

Also, working families across the country will be handing out printed thank you cards to bus drivers, baristas, firefighters, construction workers, teachers and others. In Charlotte, union families will be encouraging Democratic National Convention delegates to use the thank you cards to thank the people of Charlotte who are keeping the convention running.

“Labor Day should be about more than the unofficial end of summer. Each of us relies on the work of others, and Labor Day should be a time to recognize all those contributions,” said AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler. “Our work binds us together, and as Americans, we’re stronger when we celebrate those ties that make us better.”

Participants can choose from eight different online and paper cards that carry messages like:

– “That barbecue didn’t make itself,” says the headline. “Labor Day, brought to you by hard-working people. Like you. Thanks for the work you do.”

– “Work, babies, and the smell of bacon. Three things worth getting up for. The work you do every day really matters. Thanks for everything you do.”

– “Work is collar-blind,” says the headline over a picture of a shirt. “Whether your name is on your front pocket or the front office, everyone’s work matters. Thanks for the work you do.”